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13)
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4)
Fisheries Sharing Deal Struck with New Zealand‘s Maori
- Maori tribes in New Zealand reached a hard-won compromise deal last
Friday that ends eleven years of wrangling. The deal shares out millions
of dollars worth of fishing and aquaculture development rights.
Under the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi signed with European settlers, Maori
tribes retained ownership of their traditional fish stocks, but that
ownership was lost when the government introduced a strict fishing quota
system in the 1980s.
A 1992 settlement returned $400 million of fisheries quotas or ownership
of nearly half of New Zealand's fish stocks to Maori. Since then, the
quota has been managed by a trustee body, the Waitangi Fisheries
Commission, as the country's more than 80 Maori tribes argued over how to
split the fishery property rights.
The new deal fits into the strict quota system used to manage and protect
fish stocks.
The AP reported that New Zealand's Fisheries Minister Pete Hodgson said
the proposed settlement was larger than all other Maori grievance
settlements in New Zealand history combined and that the assets held
``huge promise as a source of renewed economic and social strength for
Maori.''
Calling Friday a historic day, Waitangi Fisheries commissioner Naida
Glavish acknowledged that not all Maori would be happy with the plan,
which allocates fisheries based on the size and geographic location of
tribes.
``There is absolutely no ability to get 100 percent agreement. However,
with the percentage of agreement we do have, we have an ability now to
move forward,'' she said. One of the biggest sticking points was the
claims of urban Maori who no longer have any connection with fishing.
The government has 30 days to approve the plan, and then must pass it into
law.
Not all Maori were pleased. Maori Council lawyer Donna Hall had argued the
plan was not fair to all Maori and the $11.4 million set aside for Maori
living in cities was not enough.
New Zealand's indigenous Maori, a minority of 530,000 among the country's
4 million people, are among the South Pacific nation's poorest residents.
NEWS by Ken Coons - May 9, 2003
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5)
Retailers need both new species and value added items to make seafood
profitable SN survey shows
May 7, 2003 -Supermarket seafood is an extremely perishable protein that
doesn't adapt well to artificial store environments. Behind the scenes,
retailers told SN they feel like they're on an endless fishing expedition,
catching and marketing products that are as safe as possible, in order to
generate sales volume and turn a profit.
To be sure, advances in processing, handling and merchandising vehicles
have helped to maximize the amount of time in which seafood can be sold.
But often that isn't enough. Retailers still must seek out and experiment
with new varieties of whole fish and value-added items in an attempt to
find the most profitable mix.
'I have a saying: 'People buy meat, but you've got to sell them seafood,''
said Pete Davis, senior director of meat, seafood and sushi for Bristol
Farms, an upscale, 11-store chain based in Carson, Calif. 'You've got to
sell them the stuff. You've got to steer them in the right direction.'
In recent years, Bristol Farms successfully rolled out several new species
from faraway places. New Zealand grouper made its debut a couple of years
ago. Similar to sea bass, grouper has pink flesh and a mild flavor.
Bristol Farms sells large fillets, ranging in size from two to three
pounds, for $ 12 to $ 13 a pound. Stores carry it virtually year-round.
'That's turned into a nice product,' Davis said.
More recently, the chain introduced Lake Victoria perch. The mild, light,
freshwater fish from Africa's Lake Victoria comes to California by way of
Florida. Bristol Farms is the only West Coast chain that carries the fish,
usually filleted at $ 10.99 a pound, on a regular basis, Davis said.
While it has generated respectable sales, the new item was not an
overnight sensation. After introducing the product in the last year, the
retailer promoted it with point-of-sale materials and conducted a sales
contest in conjunction with a promotion. The chain sells about 75 items in
its seafood departments, with the top 17 items making up 75% of the
business, Davis said. The Lake Victoria perch holds the No. 20 spot.
'It's a challenge,' Davis said of new product launches. 'It was a
challenge with the perch in particular. We're quite pleased with it.'
To counter the often high retail prices on swordfish, ahi, Chilean sea
bass, salmon and halibut -- Bristol Farms' top sellers -- the retailer
looks for new products that are high in quality and more reasonably
priced, Davis said. New items also must be suitable for broiling and
grilling, the cooking techniques preferred by Bristol Farms' shoppers.
'Our customers aren't going to go home and fry fish in a skillet,' he
said.
Regular customers expect service at Bristol Farms, so the retailer does
not carry any prepackaged, prepared entrees. Officials learned not to
bother with those products after experimenting with a line of such entrees
in the meat departments. Two years of hard work and aggressive
merchandising didn't work -- the products sat in the self-serve cases
while customers lined up at the service counter.
'The perception there is they'll get a better, fresher product out of the
service case,' Davis said. 'We've created this service culture, and it
works for us.'
The service seafood department generates 5% to 6% of overall store sales,
up from about 4.5% seven years ago. Davis attributed the increase to
stepped-up marketing, consumer education and hand-holding. Associates
offer consumers serving suggestions and recipes for seafood products, and
those efforts encourage shoppers to make what often becomes a costly
investment in dinner, Davis said. 'Customers are receptive to any new,
quality products,' he said.
Elsewhere, retailers are having success with products designed for
self-serve formats. On the other side of the country, consumers have
warmed up to a line of oven-ready seafood entrees at Roche Bros. stores in
the Boston area. In its third year, the Seafood Chef line belongs
exclusively to the retailer. Officials developed the logo featuring a blue
wave graphic, all product labels, signs and ads that tie in with the logo.
The entrees part of the line has grown to include 16 items, with most
stores carrying eight to 10 at any given time. On a recent tour of the
company's newest store in West Roxbury, Mass., a diverse community seven
miles outside of Boston, SN observed signage on the service case promoting
the entrees. The retailer recently accelerated marketing of the items,
featuring them in store circulars during Lent.
Spinach-stuffed haddock, breaded scallops, breaded scrod and stuffed
fillet of sole were among the featured items on the day of SN's visit. The
line also includes three versions of salmon -- dijon-encrusted salmon,
salmon jardiniere and sesame tamari salmon. Products are displayed in
self-serve cases directly in front of the service seafood departments, and
are priced at $ 9.95 for two adult servings.
Signs in the stores describe the products, noting the breaded items are
made with homemade breadcrumbs. The breaded items, in fact, are the best
sellers, an official with the company told SN.
Most of the dishes are produced daily in the stores, and associates make
just one day's worth of products at a time to minimize waste. Controlling
shrink is an ongoing challenge for associates who deal with the entrees in
particular, and seafood products in general, said Paul McGillivray, vice
president of perishables for the 14-store chain. The items have a two-day
shelf life.
The line is profitable for Roche Bros., he said. In addition to entrees,
the Seafood Chef line includes outsourced products, including appetizers,
kabobs for grilling, cocktail sauce and bouillabaisse. The entire
portfolio represents 10% of total department sales, and the department
contributes 2.5% to overall store sales, McGillivray said.
'You've got to be able to price them to get a return,' he told SN. 'All
the items are in the $ 10 to $ 12 range. That's a high ring. You need
volume in seafood [to be profitable]. We have steady volume at Roche based
on the fact we're in the Northeast and have a loyal seafood customer
anyway.'
Officials with Boulder, Colo.-based natural foods retailer Wild Oats sense
there's profit potential in prepared entrees, an increasingly popular
category for the chain. The service seafood departments at Wild Oats
historically have offered a selection of mostly fresh, mostly wild items,
with some farm-raised products from sustainable species. Under the
prepared-foods category, the stores have a limited selection that includes
seasonal items like stuffed salmon, popular in the winter months; and
salmon burgers and crabcakes, good sellers in the warm-weather months.
Wild Oats plans to expand the offering in the near future, an official
with the 102-store chain told SN, though he couldn't say when.
Another consideration for the retailer is whether to keep preparing the
items in-store as they now are, or contracting with suppliers, said
Jonathan Copeland, national seafood buyer for the chain. Both options have
merit. In-house preparation lets associates be creative, while outsourcing
ensures consistency, Copeland said.
'We're looking at both avenues,' he said.
Despite the growing acceptance and consumption of fish, many consumers are
still reluctant to shop seafood departments. They are not sure what to do
with fish and don't want to take chances with an unfamiliar protein. Wild
Oats intends to address those concerns by offering more prepared items
that will take the guesswork out of cooking, Copeland said.
'It's a growing category,' he said. 'It's a focus.'
Manufacturers are also busy introducing value-added products that are easy
for consumers to prepare. Boston-based Slade Gorton and Co., a leading
maker of fresh and frozen seafood products, in February rolled out Asian
Citrus Shrimp, a marinaded Argentine shrimp product that cooks in five
minutes -- the fastest-cooking item in the company's Gourmet Bay line. The
product took top honors in the new products competition at the
International Boston Seafood Show in March.
Packaged in one-pound preprinted tubs, the shrimp can be carried in both
self-serve and service cases, an official with Slade Gorton told SN. The
suggested retail price is $ 8.99 to $ 9.99.
About a dozen supermarket chains have introduced the product, and more
companies had expressed interest in it, said Jennifer Perham, marketing
solutions director for Slade Gorton. 'It's appealing because it's the most
popular seafood species,' she said. 'It's quick, easy and healthy.'
[Copyright 2003 Gale Group, Inc.ASAP
Supermarket News]
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6)
Paid Content Market to Soar
Australia's online consumers are increasingly comfortable with the
idea of paying for content. According to a new survey, 50 percent of all
people regularly online now say they are willing to pay for some forms of
content. However, there appears to be a definite selection process as to
what those forms constitute.
A new report by Jupiter Research, a division of Jupiter Media, publisher
of Australia.internet.com, has found that publishers can no longer simply
look at online content as a generic product. Niki Scevak, Jupiter
Australia's chief analyst and author of the report, says we've passed that
point: "They have to look at how to market these kinds of services to
particular target groups."
"If you look at a person's age, for instance, it's a determinant for what
they're willing to pay for or not," he says. "The young are looking for
more entertainment, while the older are looking for more convenience
services."
Key factors
Key findings in the study show that entertainment content such as video,
digital music, ringtones and SMS alerts, increases in value as potential
consumers get younger. So while less than 10 percent of 35-49 year-olds
would pay for video streams, this rises to around 22 percent among 16-24
year-olds.
Conversely, for utility content like newspaper archives, finance and
business news, e-cards and enhanced email services, the propensity to pay
increases the older consumers get: around 17 percent of 16-24 year-olds
expressed willingness to pay for newspaper archives, but this rises to
around 30 percent for over-35s.
According to Jupiter, the most significant factor in the behaviour of
online consumers is tenure, or how long the person has been using the
internet. "There's a real barrier early on. In the first 2 years, people
are far less likely to transact online," says Scevak.
"In Australia, we have the advantage of most users having been online for
some time. In 2003, three-quarters of the online population have used the
internet for 2 or more years," he continues. This maturity seems to be
influencing the growing propensity for Australians to accept paying for
online content.
This is also reflected in the greater willingness of broadband consumers.
Generally, broadband users are well tenured, and the report finds
consistently that more of them would pay for all forms of digital content
than dial-up users. Of course, the report also points out that broadband
users are more likely to come from higher income households.
A quiet sea-change
The activities of local online publishers are also starting to reflect
this change in attitude. Ninemsn has been engaged in a range of paid-for
content services for some time now. "For the past 2 years, we've been
quietly generating revenues centred around a range of paid-for products
our consumers are interested in," says Samantha Herron, spokesperson for
Ninemsn.
These have included ringtone downloads and pay-to-play online versions of
Channel Nine's television content 'Who Wants To Be a Millionaire' and the
National IQ Test. Another successful product it's running is an online
dating service. Subscription based, it now has 450,000 members, says
Herron.
Crucially, Herron says the portal has based these kinds of services on
what its users have told them they want: "We don't just develop these
things and put them out there to see if they want them."
However, it is also significant that Herron says online advertising
remains the main component of its online revenues. And it is arguable just
how much of this constitutes "content" in the purest sense. Publishers
were one of the first industry sectors to try and monetise the web
audience, and many attempts to get people to pay for published content
online have consistently proved fruitless.
Not yet do we choose to receive our daily newspaper in our email inbox, as
many newspaper publishers had hoped not too long ago
Consumer spending on paid content on the Internet will jump to $2 billion
in 2003, up 30 percent from a year, according to a survey published by
Jupiter Research.
However, despite the growth of the paid content market, the research firm
found that online advertising remained the "best opportunity" for most
online media businesses.
Jupiter Research, which is owned by the same parent company as
internetnews.com, is projecting paid content will grow at an annual rate
of more than 20 percent until 2007, when it will reach $5.4 billion.
The report, released at the company's Online Media Conference Monday,
found that syndication revenues for consumer content will grow from a very
small base in 2003 to $1.4 billion in 2007. At the same time, Jupiter
Research said online advertising spending will reach nearly $14.0 billion
in 2007, up from $6.2 billion in 2003.
But, even as consumers are opening their wallets to pay for online
content, Jupiter's researchers found that, for the next 18 to 24 months,
online media house will generate 60 percent to 70 percent of revenues from
advertising.
"The $2.0 billion forecasted for paid content spending is fragmented
across over a dozen categories ranging from news to sports to health to
adult content, making it difficult for any one company to collect a
significant share of that spending," Jupiter noted
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1)
SEAFOOD
MARKETING FORUM (COOKED
PRAWNS)
Sydney Seafood School, Sydney Fish Market
Tuesday, 13 May 2003
Registration 5:45 pm
Forum 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
SUBJECT
The upcoming Marketing Forum will focus on the wide variety of king prawns
that are available in today’s seafood market. The issues to be covered
are: wild catch, aquaculture and regional diversity.
PRESENTERS
Chair: Simon Marnie, ABC Radio
With 20 years of experience in radio, Simon is the presenter of “The
Weekend Show” on ABC Sydney. In addition to his experience in radio he’s
had stints of home duties, child rearing, chefing and voice work,
eventually leading Simon back to a career in radio.
Jarn Jamison, Managing Director – Austar Seafood Marketing Pty Ltd
Austar Seafood Marketing is a leading marketer of Australian prawns,
supplying both the domestic and export market with prawns caught in South
Australia, Queensland and New South Wales.
Shane Geary, Seafood Manager – Coffs Harbour Fishermen’s Cooperative
Coffs Harbour Fishermen’s Cooperative is one of the largest handlers of
fresh seafood on the NSW Coastline. Renown for its quality, the coop is a
past winner of the SFM Seafood Awards.
Frank Roberts – Tru Blue Prawn Farm at Yamba
Australia’s first prawn farm (Tru Blu) commenced farming in 1983 and has
expanded to now consist of 30 ponds with a total area of 26 hectares under
water and a state of the art hatchery.
During the panel discussion they will be joined by Anthony Mercer of
DeCosti Seafoods to give the buyers perspective and leading Marine
Biologist and researcher Nick Ruello.
ABOUT THE SEAFOOD MARKETING FORUMS
The Seafood Marketing Forum is for suppliers of products and services to
present ideas and business opportunities to the wider Seafood Industry.
The forum presents the opportunity to discuss relevant issues and concepts
that will take the seafood industry forward.
COST: $5.00 at the door.
RSVP:
bryans@sydneyfishmarket.com.au by 12 May 2003.
FURTHER ENQUIRIES
Bryan Skepper, Administration Manager
Sydney Fish Market Pty Ltd www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au
bryans@sydneyfishmarket.com.au T: (02) 9004 1100 F: (02) 9004 1177
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2)
The Queensland 400 Business
Summit
Thursday 5 June 2003, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
The Premier won't miss it and nor should you!
On Thursday 5 June, Premier Peter Beattie will officially launch the 2003
Queensland 400 the list of Queensland's top 400 business enterprises, as
part of the Queensland 400 Business Summit.
If you own or manage a private company in Queensland (or you have
aspirations to do so) then you can't miss this Summit.
Designed for owners and managers (and employees!) of privately owned
enterprises, the interactive one-day program will feature the 'local
heroes' of Queensland's privately owned companies. Keynote speakers
include:
John Stainton, the man who discovered Steve Irwin and built the phenomenon
that is the "Crocodile Hunter"
Peter Lancaster, founder & managing director of top exporters Food
Spectrum, one of Australia's top 500 exporters
Karen Cash, founder & technical director of 2001 Telstra Small Business of
the Year PPS Hairwear
Therese Rein, founder & managing director of Ingeus, one of Australia's
largest providers of integrated human resource services
Barry Bull, founder & managing director of award winning retail icon
Toombul Music
Wally Eaglesham, managing director of highly innovative transport company
Rocky's Own.
Mike O'Hagan, founder & managing director of award-winning furniture
removalist Mini Movers
Tom Potter, the legend behind Eagle Boys Pizza
Allan Todd, managing director of highly successful audio-visual equipment
retailer Todd's Hi-Fi.
Noel Dabelstein, managing director of highly innovative bus and coach seat
manufacturer Styleride Seating
The Summit will also provide a fantastic networking opportunity for people
in business in Queensland.
Register NOW to avoid disappointment!
To find out more about the Queensland 400 Business Summit call us on (07)
3858 5564 or visit:
http://www.q400.com.au/
To register single attendance online go to:
https://ei.im.com.au/getdemo.ei?id=201&s=_0WP0KYHUB
To register group attendance online go to:
https://ei.im.com.au/getdemo.ei?id=201&s=_0WP0OHZVL
To print the registration form go to
http://www.q400.com.au/q400registration.pdf
Fax the completed form to (07) 3858 5510 or post to Intermedia, PO Box
1280,
Milton Q 4064.
The Queensland 400 is proudly sponsored by BDO Kendalls, Vodafone and CPA
Australia, and supported by The Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Graham Gardiner
Editor, Queensland Business Review
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11)
Scotland Is Making "Massive" Impact At Brussels Show
SCOTLAND is making a massive impact on the world seafood
stage, Scottish Secretary Helen Liddell said today.
But everyone had to pull together to secure the future of
the catching sector, she underlined during her first visit
to the massive ESE seafood show in Brussels.
Mrs Liddell told fishupdate.com the message from the show
was that customers from all round the world are signing up
to do business with Scottish firms.
“What gives us a special niche in the market is the
special quality we can offer. I think that is our biggest
competitive advantage against imports and there will still
be a crucial need for a domestic industry as long as we
never lose sight of the crucial quality component in the
homegrown product.
“ I think when you come to an exhibition like this you see
that Scotland is making a massive impact and you see the
importance of co-operation between all sectors of the
industry and Government agencies.”
But there was need for concerted action to save the
catching sector.
“ I believe we all have to pull together to secure its
future.
“ We all recognise there are difficult times now and ahead
but what we have is this unique reputation for quality and
integrity right throughout the business from catching to
the end product being marketed to the customer.
“If we lose that, we lose something irreplaceable.”
At ESE Scotland’s presentations are “knocking the socks”
off the competition, she said.
Published on: May 07,
2003
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3)
Australian seafood producers try returning to Asia markets
-CANBERRA, (Xinhua)--Australian seafood producers Monday asked the
government to help returning to Asia markets.
According to the Australian Associated Press, AAP, the Australian Seafood
Industry Council proposed to establish a dedicated export air freight
capacity on a daily basis to fly fresh seafood to Asia.
AAP quoted the council's chief executive Russ Neal as saying that it was
imperative the seafood industry was prepared to re-enter the Hong Kong
market in particular when consumer confidence returned and the restaurant
trade regained momentum. ``We are seeking a partnership approach with
government and the Australian community as we trade out of the current
market difficulties,'' Neal said.
Seafood is not Australians' favour and there is only a small domestic
market. More than 80 percent of product was sold on export markets,
earning 2.2 billion Australian dollars (1.39 billion US dollars) a year.
During the past two months, most of the Asia markets virtually closed door
to Australia's seafood as people avoided from eating at restaurants.
''Reports are now suggesting the impact of SARS may have peaked in Asia.''
Neal said. He added, ``The restaurant trade across Asia will be desperate
to resume trading as soon as the consumers come back and Australia can
enjoy a real marketing advantage if we are quick off the mark.''
[Associated Press] - May 6, 2003
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7)
Between Preservation and Conservation, Do
Environmental Victories Hide the Damage Caused by Consumption?
"We Californians are really not very good
conservationists - we're very good preservationists. Conservation means
you use resources well and responsibly. Preservation means you are rich
enough to set aside things you want and buy them from someone else."
The Tillamook
What's the difference between preservation and conservation?
This week the Sacramento Bee published a series called "State of Denial."
The "State" in question is California. The "Denial" has to do with how
this environmentally friendly state impacts the rest of the planet.
For the better part of a century, "concern for the environment has been a
cornerstone of California life" yet the push for Preservation in that
state has implications around the world, according to the Bee.
"With 34 million people and the world's fifth-largest economy, California
has long consumed more than it produces. But today, its passion for
protecting natural resources at home while importing them in record
quantities from afar is backfiring on the world's environment," according
to the Bee. "It is exporting the pain of producing natural resources --
polluted water, pipeline accidents, piecemeal forests and human conflicts
-- to the far corners of the planet, to places out of sight and out of
mind. California is the state of denial."
The past decade in particular -- during the Clinton Administration --
large parts of the Northwest forests were set aside from logging and
development. The spotted owl settlement in the Northwest Forest Plan
drastically curtailed logging on federal forest lands. In California
alone, 13.5 million acres have been set aside since 1992.
Yet those set asides increased the import of wood from other countries
like New Zealand and Canada according to William Libby, a professor
emeritus of forestry at the University of California, Berkeley. Today 80
percent of California's wood is imported from places like British
Columbia's old growth forests. Fifty years ago, the state produced the
wood that it used.
"We Californians are really not very good conservationists - we're very
good preservationists," Libby told the Bee. "Conservation means you use
resources well and responsibly. Preservation means you are rich enough to
set aside things you want and buy them from someone else."
That gap between preservation and conservation can be a hard one to cross
for many people.
California, however, is just a case study for the nation as a whole.
"We're the largest consuming nation basically of everything," James
Bowyer, an expert in conservation policy and natural resource consumption,
told the Bee. "Yet we find every reason in the world why we shouldn't mine
steel, why we shouldn't drill for oil. It's ironic because we are
transferring the impacts to someplace else. And then we are telling
ourselves what we are doing is good for the environment."
Worse, Bowyer adds, "we are magnifying them by turning to nations that
don't have the stringent environmental controls that we do."
A perfect example of that is Ecuador, according to the Bee. Where a decade
ago more than 90 percent of California's oil came from within the state or
from Alaska, today more than a third is imported from countries like Saudi
Arabia and Iraq (prior to Gulf War II)
Yet 14 percent of California's oil comes from tropical Ecuador where
biologically rich Amazon rain forests are succumbing to increasing demands
for crude. Whereas California's oil drilling requirements are some of the
strictest in the world.
Ecuador has a lot of paperwork and pollution, but little environmental
enforcement. The water in the rivers is increasingly poisoned by petroleum
and the cultural and biological legacies are being lost. Meanwhile the
people of Ecuador see little gain -- most oil revenues go to pay
international debts.
The Bee also ties California's increasingly preserved forests to clear
cutting of virgin forests in Canada.
"The volume of timber cut from national forests has dropped 80 percent. At
no time in state history have California forest ecosystems enjoyed such
sweeping protection," writes the Bee's Pulitzer prizewinning journalist
Tom Knudson. "Yet there is a trapdoor to this turnabout, one that opens a
passageway to more environmental trauma: The logging never really stopped;
it just moved to Canada."
In 2001 California imported more than 18 billion board feet from Canada --
"enough two-by-fours, plywood, doorjambs, siding and other products to
build a city the size of San Diego." Per capita wood consumption in the US
is 2.5 times as high as in other developed nations and 3.4 times the
global average.
Yet, in Canada the logging is 90 percent clear cutting, according to the
Bee. Moreover the logging is now pressing into the important Boreal forest
which provides vital habitat and even plays a crucial role in regulating
the planet's climate.
"This is a classic example of not taking a holistic view," Environmental
consultant Richard Thomas told the Bee. "You do the cosmetic stuff at
home. You minimize your ecological footprint in your own back yard. And
here in Canada, you get away with murder. It's out of sight and out of
mind."
If there is a light at the end of the tunnel in this series, it also comes
from Canada, where a unique management systems allows fishermen to make a
living without destroying the source of seafood they depend upon.
While California and Oregon fishermen are facing dramatic cutbacks in the
harvest of several species of rockfish that have been pushed to the brink
of extinction, Canada's fishermen earn a six figure income and ship three
quarters of their catch to California's seafood markets. They management
system uses individual quotas to give fishermen a stake in the future of
the resource, not just the fish in the net.
"In British Columbia, that system is a federal management plan that is
turning commercial fishermen into conservationists by giving them an
ownership stake in the fish of the sea," according to the Bee. "With legal
title to an average of 610,000 pounds of rockfish a year, trawlers no
longer race to sea in a competitive dash for fish. They work at their own
pace, dragging their nets when prices are good. Most fish less - and catch
less - but earn more."
The result is a more profitable, and less wasteful fishery. It succeeds
because it invests the harvesters of natural resources as
conservationists.
Such a system is being studied now for US waters, and combined with
no-take zones there is hope for the future conservation of Pacific
fishing.
So where does that leave us?
With energy, conservation means using less, using more efficiently and
using A LOT more renewable sources of energy which are now becoming cost
competitive with fossil fuels.
Yet as long as we burn oil in our SUVs we will rely increasingly on places
like Ecuador unless we increasing domestic production. Does more domestic
production mean drilling in Alaska? Maybe. It certainly means that
wherever we drill we need to do it responsibly -- setting and demanding
new standards for safety while minimizing impacts.
A similar two-pronged approach can be taken with wood products.
Conservation means using less, recycling more and finding ways to make
ecologically friendly alternatives cost competitive.
It may be a while before all US newspapers are printed on rice husks and
home are constructed of cob or recycled steel.
So until the US reduces its demand for wood products to zero, we have a
responsibility cut trees. More importantly we have a responsibility to cut
trees right -- to prove that cutting trees can be done in a way that
minimizes the harm to the larger ecosystem while still being profitable.
Like the fishermen in Canada, we need a management system where
conservation becomes the sound economic choice.
We have these responsibilities not only because we consume more trees, oil
and fish than we produce, but because we want to have a leg to stand on
when we try to convince other people to conserve their natural resources
for the good of the planet.
We as Americans -- of all people -- have a global responsibility to prove
the practice of conservation, prove that resources can be sustainably
harvested without ecological or commercial bankruptcy as the result. Most
of all, to prove it in our own backyard.
As consumers we can consume less and better -- but that's only the half of
it. Until all the natural resources we consume are renewable, we have an
obligation to extract natural resources in the most ecologically
sustainable way possible.
Not so we can sleep guilt-free at night, but so others can live with the
planet they wake up to.
by ED HUNT
University of California Prof. Emeritus William Libby.
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10) Good
News For Scallop Sector
THE scallop industry has been given a boost, with an
indication from the Scottish Executive that it would be
willing to fund new research into shellfish poison in
scallops.
The industry has suffered numerous long-term closures of
the fishery over the past five years, and scallop farmers
have also been prohibited from selling live scallops once
ASP (amnesic shellfish poison) levels reach 20 micrograms
per gram in scallops. The industry now faces stricter EC
rules to be introduced later this year, which bring the
trigger level down to 4.6 mg per gram, and which threaten
to close scallop grounds for even longer periods during
outbreaks of ASP. Fishermen have argued that the levels of
ASP at which scallop grounds are closed at present are
based on flawed science, and that the new rules, which
have been based on this, are unnecessarily strict and will
decimate the industry.
Published on: May 07,
2003
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9) Halibut
Farming Advances In Expanding Aquaculture Range
THE market for farmed halibut is continuing to grow and
there are exciting product developments taking place with
key customers,according to Allan Miller, Sales and
Marketing Director for Marine Harvest in the UK.
“Our Scottish halibut farms have been supplying customers
in the UK for the past three years and earlier this year
we made our first delivery to the United States. This is
regular weekly business now and Marine Harvest farmed
halibut features on New York restaurant tables each
month.”
He continued: “The know-how built up in Scotland has
helped the establishment of Marine Harvest halibut farms
in Norway. These farms will begin harvesting later this
year, which will help to meet a growing demand.”
The Scottish halibut comes from Marine Harvest farms in
the Western Isles. Arriving as juveniles they are grown
over a period of around 24 months, first in land tanks
then in sea cages. The fish are harvested at the farms and
prepared — gutted and headed — in the nearby Marine
Harvest processing plant, then packed on ice ready for
dispatch.
Marine Harvest is also supplying world markets with
barramundi and rainbow trout, as well as being the world
number one in farmed salmon products. The range will be
extended further in the near future with cod and halibut
in Norway and yellowtail in Japan.
Published on: May 07,
2003
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12)
Record
Turnover For Top Processor
European Fish Trader
European Fish Trader
Published on: May 05, 2003
EUROPE’S largest pelagic fish processor, Shetland Catch
has announced record turnover of £52,881,968, up 22%, for
the year ending December 2002.
Shetland Catch,which has also announced it is in the
advanced stage of acquisition talks for secondary fish
processor Shetland Smokehouse, recorded £3.5 million
profit before tax and other adjustments. Net profit was
£1,596,606.
Profit remained static,but Managing Director Derek Leask,
says the company is pleased with the results.
He said: "This was actually a very difficult year for the
pelagic shore based industry. Not many companies will
record a profit. Processors in Norway, in particular,
appear to have struggled. The fact that Shetland Catch has
maintained profit levels is due to the highly efficient
and modern factory and our location in the centre of the
mackerel fishing grounds. The new factory was designed to
be successful in the difficult periods that the cyclical
nature of our industry creates. The result in 2002
endorses this policy.”
He also praised suppliers for their support and for
delivering high quality raw material needed to access
higher value markets including Japan.
The last year had been particularly difficult due to
steady weakening of the US dollar caused by US economy
decline, plus the Iraqi conflict." We also faced increased
competition from mainland Scotland and a small decline in
traditional markets such as Korea. None of these issues
are insurmountable and the company is in a positive
position to flourish once worldwide trading conditions
improve.”
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8)
Iceland itching to resume whaling despite international outcry
Icelanders, itching to return to hunt whales in their territorial waters,
are still held back by fear of world opinion but hope to find ways to
avoid any fallout on the island's booming tourism industry if whaling
resumes.
'We believe that as a nation we should have the right to use this
resource, like any other resource,' Finance Minister Geir H. Haarde told
AFP.
Iceland could return to whaling within two or three years, if not sooner,
he said.
Iceland agreed to a whaling moratorium within the International Whaling
Commission (IWC) in 1983, but many now believe that that was an error.
Iceland subsequently left the IWC but was readmitted last year. Prime
Minister David Oddsson said earlier this year that he hoped to follow
Japan in launching 'scientific' or 'research' whaling, but government
officials are quite open about their wish to re-enter commercial whaling,
too.
They are backed up by Icelandic scientists, who claim that the small minke
whales are doing very well around Iceland, and they see no reason why the
hunt cannot resume.
'In fact the whale stock around Iceland needs to be culled like the
kangaroo stock in Australia needs to be culled,' said Haarde, who believes
there is no justification to oppose whaling 'unless you're a vegetarian'.
'Whales compete with humans for fish stocks, the protein of the sea. And
whom would you rather feed, humans or whales?' he said.
But Iceland's booming tourism industry is not happy with the prospect of
an international outcry, and sector professionals are haunted by fears
that tourists from countries like the United States, Britain, Germany and
the Netherlands could decide to boycott Iceland.
The government is hoping to persuade its foreign critics that whaling is
not as monstrous as they claim to avoid such a backlash, but fundamentally
finds it hard to understand why they are being taken to task over whaling.
'Many Icelanders would like to start whaling again, but are not quite
aware of just how controversial it is,' said Lowana Veal, a biologist
based in Iceland.
'It seems that the government doesn't really understand the extent of
opposition to whaling in the world. They always seem surprised at the
reaction they get,' she said.
One idea being floated is that drugging whales and then killing them might
make whaling more palatable to those who believe that the animals suffer
needlessly before dying.
'Whales are big, and it's not always easy to pierce the heart. They can
suffer terribly if you miss. But drugging whales and then killing them
onshore might be the answer,' one local fisherman told AFP.
Apart from the political fallout, there are also doubts about how viable
commercial whaling would be, and there are uncertainties about demand for
whale products and prices, government officials acknowledge, saying that
these issues need to be sorted out before Iceland takes the big step.
Meanwhile, in Reykjavik's windswept harbour, four moored whaling boats are
rocking gently in the waves. They have not been moved in 15 years,
incurring big financial losses for their owner, a private Icelandic
company.
They look a little rusty in places, but otherwise in good repair, even
after all those years.
'They're ready to go, tomorrow, if they have to,' said Veal, who dismisses
the idea that Iceland's immensely popular whale-watching tours might
provide alternative employment for idle whalers.
'I don't think fishermen would be satisfied with that. They want the real
thing,' she said.
[Copyright 2003 Agence France Presse ]
May 9, 2003 -
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